My trip to Helsinki Zine Fest lasted only a single day, and yet it might have been one of my most important steps towards a career as a comics creator. In late July of last year, I had just found out I couldn’t afford my trip to New York to attend Flame Con. I was understandably upset at the prospect of almost being able to be within walking…
Nicole J Georges’ Fetch: It’s Kind of Like Feminism, But for Dogs
An essay on Nicole J. Georges, a prolific zinester and graphic novelist who writes, draws and sings her love for animals, humans and vegan food.
Not My Small Diary #19 Balances Humor with Horror
Not My Small Diary Delaine Derry Green (Editor), John Porcellino (Cover), Carrie McNinch, Peter Conrad, Noel Franklin, David Lasky, Jason Martin, Kelly Froh, Jenny Zervakis, Donna Barr, Max Clotfelter, Andrew Goldfarb, Colleen Frakes, Mark Campos, Rob Kirby, Ben Horak, Joe Decie, Asher Craw, Missy Kulik, Misun Oh, Rachel Scheer, Simon Mackie, Charles Brubaker, Graeme McNee,…
LA Zine Fest – Zine Review Roundup
LA Zine Fest stormed its way into downtown LA’s fashion district and brought with it an incredible number of cartoonists and zine makers creating art at every intersection. One of the most inclusive, accessible, and incredible shows I’ve ever attended, I actually left with a whole bunch of amazing (and affordable) zines, which, as a…
Chronicles of Fortune by Coco Picard is a Powerful Comic about Grief
Chronicles of Fortune Coco Picard Radiator Comics May 2017 Books are like coffee. Just as all the factors related to how coffee beans grow, blossom, and make their way into a tired drinker’s cup can affect taste, each aspect of creation, distribution, and publishing affects the impact of a book. Chronicles of Fortune by Coco…
LA Zine Fest Got Everything Right
It’s rare to find a great comic convention. From the huge halls of the Javits centre where the world’s most attended comic-con NYCC is held to the Disneyland adjacent building site of WonderCon, comic cons are often huge, inaccessible with line-ups that are ninety percent straight white people. Though smaller zine fests seem like they…
Silver Sprocket’s Avi Ehrlich Talks Business of Small Press and Art Theft on Redbubble
Art theft is as old as art itself, but in the digital era it is easier than ever to commit, and harder than ever to police. Perhaps the most common and familiar form occurs when an artist’s work is shared on social media without credit; a work can earn thousands of reblogs, likes, and comments…
Grotesque, Anxious and Delightful: A Review of The Wicked and the Tired
The Wicked and The Tired Sheika Lugtu (editor), Jenna Kang (assistant editor), Connie Chu (cover art), A. Cris Valles, Daimon Hampton, Rivven Prink, Gabriel Mason, Gabi Mendez, Sheika Lugtu, Yewon Kwon, Woodbury Rand (Contributors) Cow House Press One of my favorite things about Chicago’s independent comics scene is that it’s filled with people who are downright inspiring,…
Small Press Bites: A Girl & Her Cat, A Catgirl, and More
Something Familiar Pam Wishbow Pam Wishbow’s work is delightfully creepy, always adorned with eyes and runes and enough esoteric symbols to catch my eye from across a room. Something Familiar, true to form, is a dark and creepy comic drawn in stark black and white, its shadows often dominating each scene in a way that…
Previously On Comics: New Distributors, Comic-Cons, and Creative Resistance
Happy Vernal Equinox, readers! Depending on where you live, the past week brought some “interesting” weather, but hopefully those days are behind us. Now, let’s talk about what’s going on in the comics world. In adaptation news, Marvel is a launching a Darth Vader comicbook series in June. Timely, given the fact that the ending…
Small Press Bites: IUDs, Dads, and Gangs
Here are three bite-sized reviews of some shorter books from the infinite to-read pile in my house. Keep an eye out for more round-up reviews as our small press coverage expands! Lovers in the Garden Anya Davidson Retrofit/Big Planet Comics Anya Davidson’s retro style is the star of in Lovers in the Garden, with bright…
Top Indies, Small Press, and Webcomics of 2016
I asked our small press comics fans to tell me not what the best comics of 2016 were, but which ones were their favourites. Here’s what they said: Mattress Stiff With Blood Tom McHenry Self-published There’s something that’s incredibly natural about the cartooning Tom McHenry does in this work—everything flows so seamlessly from one topic to…